A Smart Choice: Go Hands Free With Google Assistant

A digital assistant may not be able to help you with household chores yet, but spend a little time using the newly enhanced Google Assistant and you’ll quickly discover that voice-activated control of your smartphone is now easier than ever. And it’s available for many Android smartphones and for iPhone—as a matter of fact, if you’re using Android 6.0 or higher, you already have it!

You can use this handy digital assistant to control apps and devices, find answers to all kinds of questions, make plans, or carry out a variety of useful tasks. On Android phones, simply unlock your phone, hold down the home key, and you’ll see it open up. Say, “OK, Google” or ask a question to activate it, and you’re off and running!

Unlike the Android version, you can’t wake your iPhone by saying “OK Google” to the Assistant. Instead, you’ll need to add the app to your list of widgets. You can download it here. With the widget added, you can access Google Assistant from the lock or home screen with a swipe and a tap. Scroll to the bottom of the widgets you currently have added, and then tap on the Edit button. Find “Your Google Assistant” in the list and tap on the green button.

Once you’ve activated the Assistant, ask it anything you want. It will search the Internet or use associated Google apps to get you an answer or do the job you require. I use it to make phone calls, send text messages, or even email. For example, I just tell it “Text Hubby Be Home At Five”, or “Call Mom,” and Google Assistant takes care of the rest. It’s terrific for searching movie show times, or flight information. Say “take me home”, and it will use Google Maps to direct you to your home address. You can ask it to choose music from your phone’s library (“play me jazz”) and search your Google Photos to find exactly what you’re looking for (“show me pictures from the beach.”) You can even sync it to other “smart” devices in your home—a thermostat, a lamp, or others—and control them remotely (“turn off the lights in the kitchen.”)

If you’re new to using hands-free technology, or gave up on earlier versions, I highly recommend giving the latest Google Assistant a try. From waking you up in the morning to turning off your bedside lamp at night, it provides a thousand conveniences to make your smartphone an even more indispensable tool.

We’re sorry to hear that, Genevieve, and we’d like to resolve the issues you’ve been experiencing. Please give us a call at 888-345-5509. We can do some additional troubleshooting over the phone with you at your convenience. Thank you for taking the time to post, and we look forward to assisting you!

After trying T-mobile I decided Consumer Cellular is the only way to go. Glad to be back, love your service and very helpful agents. Best service and I don’t plan on leaving any time soon. Keep up the wonderful work! RoseMoya

We apologize for any delay in the shipping of your new phone, Alan. I reviewed your account, and I see that it has shipped, and that we’ve emailed you the tracking information. We’re happy to review the situation with you over the phone if you like at 888-345-5509. Thank you for your patience, and we hope you enjoy your new iPhone!

Thanks for posting, David! We offer a variety of accessories for our devices. I took a look at your account, and I see that Alicia, our account advisor, was able to assist you with ordering a combo pack for your device. If we can help you with anything else, please don’t hesitate to call us at 888-345-5509. We appreciate you taking the time to comment, and we hope you have a lovely day!

Been trying to talk to a representative today and have been unable to contact anyone. Always get the voice recording of a 15 minute wait. left my number and missed the call back, called the number that was left and it was busy.
I switched to consumer because I heard the service was good, NOT ANY MORE. What is going on with you guys, 15 minute waits all day???? Give me a break.

We apologize for the wait you experienced, Ray, and we appreciate your patience. I was able to take a look at your account, and I see that Anthony, our account advisor, was able to answer your questions. If we can be of any further help at this time, please don’t hesitate to call us again at 888-345-5509. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience, and we hope you have a great day!

Thank you for taking the time to post today, Grover. We can take a look at this and let you know if there is any tower maintenance being addressed in your area. Please give us a call at 888-345-5509, and we will be happy to look into this further. We appreciate you posting!

Thank you for posting, Alice! That certainly sounds frustrating! I took a look at your account, and I see that Mary, our account advisor, was able to help you troubleshoot the issue and provide some solutions for reducing your data usage. If we can be of any further help, please don’t hesitate to call us again at 888-345-5509. We appreciate you posting, and we hope you have a wonderful day!

My new iPhone is cutting out when I try to have a conversation. My prior one never did that? I do not believe it is caused by my service.
I feel there must be a problem with my new phone. I had a iPhone before and it worked very well.

We’re happy to troubleshoot this issue for you, Pege. Your new iPhone may need some new updates or an adjustment in the settings. Please give us a call at 888-345-5509 at your convenience, and we’ll work with you to get that resolved. Thank you for reaching out to us, and we look forward to assisting you!